Upon further consideration, however, the Top Tag does indeed seem to have some legitimate uses, as long as it's supplemented with an old-fashioned engraved ID tag for the computer illiterate.

ENGADGET: Top Tag Pet ID USB thumb drive

By adding a solution that releases both the plant and the human DNA from the paper, the geneticist can then analyze the DNA for his or her chosen purpose--for example, to look for a mutation in the human DNA sequence--with the rice DNA sitting alongside harmlessly and acting as an ID tag.

FORBES: The DNA Bar Code

We were all ready to start harshing on the Top Tag Pet ID--a USB thumb drive that contains vital info about your pet--because it seems pretty silly to assume that a lost animal's rescuer would know what the hell to do with that small piece of plastic dangling from Tinkerbelle's collar.

ENGADGET: Top Tag Pet ID USB thumb drive

When the game is to be played, the reproduction device conveys the disk ID and a player ID to the use permission tag.

FORBES: Sony's Latest Patent Could Wipe Out The Second Hand Games Market

Frequent fliers get free ID cards and Q Bag Tags, with bag tag colors denoting status level at the airline (black for platinum, gold, silver and bronze).

WSJ: Flying Through the Airport

The use permission tag stores the terms of use of the game and determines whether a combination of the disk ID and the player ID conveyed from the reproduction device fulfils the terms of use or not.

FORBES: Sony's Latest Patent Could Wipe Out The Second Hand Games Market